Jack Nunge had 18 points, 10 rebounds and four assists while Jerome Hunter matched a season-high with 15 points and nine rebounds to power No. 16 Xavier past visiting DePaul 82-68 on Saturday in Cincinnati.
Fresh from a 69-68 setback at No. 11 Marquette, Xavier (20-7, 12-4) rebounded from a pair of close road losses in Big East competition with a blowout win that avenged its 73-72 loss to the Blue Demons on Jan. 18 in Chicago.
Umoja Gibson had 17 points while Da'Sean Nelson added 16 for DePaul (9-18, 3-13), which has lost all eight games since upsetting Xavier on Jan. 18.
The Musketeers were shorthanded entering the game, as reserve guards Desmond Claude (illness) and Kam Craft (knee) were unavailable while Zach Freemantle (left foot) missed his fifth straight game.
DePaul missed its first six shots and eight of its first 10, with the only two makes coming on one-handed dunks.
The Musketeers took advantage by jumping to leads of 9-2 and 12-4 before the Blue Demons responded with a 9-0 run -- capped by a Gibson three - to take a short-lived 13-12 lead, their only lead of the game.
Momentum shifted back to Xavier when Blue Demons starting forward Eral Penn was called for his second personal foul on DePaul's next possession. Souley Boum drained a three to spark a 9-0 spurt as Xavier reclaimed control for good.
The Blue Demons drew to 30-23 on a Nelson layup. But Xavier answered with another 9-0 run that helped the Musketeers open a 39-23 lead, capped by a Jack Nunge reverse layup with 4:59 remaining in the first half.
Xavier outscored DePaul 10-2 to take a 49-27 lead at the half. Nunge had 10 points, six rebounds and four assists while Colby Jones had 10 points in the half to help Xavier pull away.
Adam Kunkel, who led Xavier's 8-for-17 first-half effort from beyond the arc, hit 4-of-5 attempts from 3-point range to pace the Musketeers with 12 first-half points. Kunkel finished with 16 points, eight assists and five rebounds.
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